Las Vegas Book Briefs for Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2014

GRAPHIC NOVEL EXHIBIT TO BE DISPLAYED

“BAM! It’s a Picture Book: The Art Behind Graphic Novels,” an exhibit featuring illustrators such as Matthew Holm, Lincoln Peirce, Mark Crilley, Jarrett J. Krosoczka and Raina Telgemeier, is scheduled to be on display Aug. 28 through Nov. 25 in the Historic Fifth Street School Mayor’s Gallery, 401 S. Fourth St. For more information, visit artslasvegas.org.

SIGNING SET FOR MICHAEL JACKSON BOOK

A book event is scheduled for “Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days” by Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard with Tanner Colby at 2 p.m. Aug. 30 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble. Whitfield and Beard were on Jackson’s security team.

POETS CAN SEEK FEEDBACK AT 5/5+

Poets are invited to share original work for five minutes followed by attendees offering comments for five minutes during 5/5+, a workshop series put on by Nick Marco, Lana Hanson and Lee Mallory, scheduled every two weeks at BooksorBooks, 3460 E. Sunset Road, Suite R. The next session is scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. Aug. 30. For details, search for 5/5+ on Facebook.

SIGNING SCHEDULED FOR ‘DEATH GAMBLE’

Guillermo E. Barahona C. is slated to sign copies of his book “Death Gamble” at 2 p.m. Aug. 30 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

‘ZODACCIA’ author plans event

Local author Justin Hill is scheduled to sign copies of his book “Zodaccia” at 1 p.m. Sept. 6 in the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble.

POET AND GUITARIST TO PERFORM

Local performance poet Lee Mallory plans to team with guitarist Nate Segundo to present “Creativity & Madness: Channeling the Muse,” a poetry and music performance intended to explore the pathos of creativity, imagination and struggle, at 8 p.m. Sept. 7 in the Double Down Saloon, 4640 Paradise Road. Admission is free. Visit doubledownsaloon.com.

‘HIKING LAS VEGAS’ AUTHORTO SPEAK

“Hiking Las Vegas” author Branch Whitney is set to speak from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Rainbow Library, 3150 N. Buffalo Drive. For more information, visit lvccld.org.

INSTITUTE TO HOST HUMAN RIGHTS DISCUSSION

The Black Mountain Institute is set to host “Blood, Sweat & Tears: Life on the Front Lines of the Human Rights Struggle in Russia, Nigeria and Iran.” The free event is set to feature Wole Soyinka, Azar Nafisi and Masha Gessen with Michelle Tusan as moderator at 7 p.m. Sept. 11 in the Philip J. Cohen Theatre in the UNLV Student Union, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. For details, visit blackmountaininstitute.org.

DA VINCI THE EXHIBITION TEAMS WITH LIBRARY IN CARD DRIVE

The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District and Da Vinci The Exhibition have teamed to present Love your Library? Tell a Friend!, a library card sign-up campaign set to run Sept. 1-30. Patrons who sign up for a free library card or “like” the library on Facebook will be entered to win a family four pack of tickets and a gift basket from Da Vinci The Exhibition at the Venetian.

Library patrons can also show their cards to receive a discount admission price of $19.50 for adults during the promotion. One child will be admitted free with each paid adult admission. Admission for each additional child is $12.50.

For more information, visit lvccld.org.

LITTLE ANTHONY BOOK SIGNING SCHEDULED

A book event for “Little Anthony: My Journey, My Destiny,” a biography on entertainer Anthony Gourdine by local author Arlene Krieger, is scheduled at 1 p.m. Sept. 13 at the 8915 W. Charleston Blvd. Barnes & Noble.

AUTHOR SERIES TO FEATURE VICKI-ANN BUSH, CAROL KUGLER

Vicki-Ann Bush, local author of the The Dusk Chronicles series, the paranormal romance “The Fulfillment,” the historical romance “The Garden of Two” and the children’s books “Winslow Willow the Woodland Fairy” and “The Queen of It,” is scheduled to meet with readers from noon to 3 p.m. Sept. 13 in the rotunda at the Green Valley Library, 2797 N. Green Valley Parkway, as part of the Reader Meet the Author series.

BLACK MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE NAMES NEW BATCH OF FELLOWS

The Black Mountain Institute’s incoming 2014-15 Fellows have been announced. Iranian fiction writer Hossein M. Abkenar has been named the Kenneth Barlow City of Asylum Fellow. Waller R. Newell, author, Carleton University political science professor and member of Ronald Reagan’s presidential transition team, has been named Fellow in Humanistic Studies. Harriet A. Washington, author of “Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present,” is this year’s Bennett Fellow. Poet, novelist, playwright and journalist Peter Zilahy has been named the Kluge Fellow in cooperation with the Library of Congress. Fellows traditionally spend an academic year in residence at UNLV writing, speaking and, on occasion, participating as visitors in UNLV graduate classes. For more information, visit blackmountaininstitute.org.

HALF-OFF SCHOLASTIC SALE SLATED

A Scholastic publishing half-price book sale is scheduled through Aug. 30 in the Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway. A portion of the funds raised benefit Henderson Libraries. For more information, visit mypubliclibrary.org.

Carol Kugler, author of the animal story collection “Cute and Smart,” is also scheduled to meet with readers during the open house-style program. For more information, visit mypubliclibrary.com.

DISCUSSION TO FEATURE NAVY BAND BOOK

Alex Albright is scheduled to discuss and sign his book “The Forgotten First: B-1 United States Navy Band” facilitated by baritone saxophone player Simeon O. Holloway at 2 p.m. Sept. 13 at the West Las Vegas Arts Center, 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd. For more information, call 702-229-4800.

ROMANCE READER AND WRITER CONFERENCE PLANNED

Hot Mojave Knights, a reader and writer romance conference, is scheduled Sept. 25-28 at Sunset Station, 1301 W Sunset Road. Full registration is $200 or $100 for a single day. Buy-one-get-one-free registration is set to be offered through Sept. 15. A free, public book signing is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 27. For more information, visit hotmojaveknights.com.

ROMANCE AUTHORS CELEBRATE NEW RELEASES

Local romance authors Tera Lynn Childs and Crystal Perkins invite readers to a night of fun and games to celebrate their latest releases from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. For more information, visit lvccld.org.

LAS VEGAS WRITERS GROUP TO WELCOME JESSIE HUMPHRIES

Jessie Humphries, author of the young adult contemporary thriller “Killing Ruby Rose,” is scheduled to speak on pitching to agents and editors during a meeting of the Las Vegas Writers Group scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Tap House, 5589 W. Charleston Blvd. A $5 meeting fee is charged. For more information, visit meetup.com/las-vegas-writers. For more on Humphries, visit jessiehumphries.com.

FORMER DODGER JERRY REUSS PLANS BASEBALL BOOK CHAT AT LIBRARY

Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and World Series champion Jerry Reuss is set to share his new book “Bring in the Right Hander! My Twenty-Two Years in the Major Leagues” at 2 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Sahara West Library, 9600 W. Sahara Ave.

For more information, visit lvccld.org or call 702-507-3631.

ROMANCE WRITERS TO WELCOME CRYSTAL PERKINS

Crystal Perkins is set to speak on how to plan events and book signings that wow during a meeting of the Las Vegas Romance Writers scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 20 at the Green Valley Library, 2797 N. Green Valley Parkway.

Perkins, author of “Gaming for Love,” has worked in the book business for six years, helping coordinate book events at Borders and now Barnes & Noble. She also works as an events consultant for Entangled Publishing and helps coordinates the young adult book programming for the Vegas Valley Book Festival.

For more on the author, visit crystalperkinsauthor.com. For more on the event, visit lvrwa.org.

AUTHOR EVENT SET FOR ‘GANGSTERLAND: A NOVEL’

Tod Goldberg plans to talk about his new book “Gangsterland: A Novel” at 3 p.m. Sept. 21 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. The crime story follows a former hit man, hiding out as a Las Vegas rabbi, who learns he isn’t as done with the Mafia as he wanted to be. For more information, visit lvccld.org or cdall 702-507-3459.

CELEBRATE FREEDOM TO READ AT UNCENSORED VOICES

The annual Uncensored Voices celebration of banned books is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. This year’s event, co-sponsored by the ACLU of Nevada, is set to shine a light on graphic novels. For more information, visit lvccld.org or cdall 702-507-3459.

VEGAS VALLEY BOOK FESTIVAL SET FOR OCT. 16-18

B.J. Novak is scheduled to speak at the opening keynote for the Vegas Valley Book Festival at 7 p.m. Oct. 16, at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. Novak is an actor, writer, director and executive producer, best known for his work on NBC’s Emmy Award-winning comedy series “The Office.” He is also known for his stand-up comedy performances and his roles in motion pictures such as Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” and Disney’s “Saving Mr. Banks.” From a stored box of ideas collected over a 10-year period, Novak wrote the book “One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories,” which debuted in February at No. 4 on the New York Times Best-Sellers List. It’s a collection of 64 comic short stories, all about the human inability to find perspective. “The Book With No Pictures,” his first endeavor into children’s books, is set to hit stores Sept. 30. Novak is a graduate of Harvard University with a degree in English and Spanish literature.

This year’s Vegas Valley Book Festival is slated for Oct. 16-18.

The festival is set to offer interaction with more than 165 authors at 100 events including panel discussions, readings, book signings, workshops, vendor exhibits, art exhibitions, spoken word performances and more. Most events are free and offered at the Historic Fifth Street School and the Clark County Library.

Aimee Bender is slated to speak as the closing keynote for the festival at 4 p.m. Oct. 18 in the Historic Fifth Street School, 401 S. Fourth St.

Sylvia Day in conversation with Tracy Wolff is set for 9 a.m. Oct. 18 in the auditorium of the Historic Fifth Street School.

The festival is slated to offer programming for all ages with activities for children and 108 young adult authors — the largest free gathering of young adult authors in the United States — for panel discussions and book signings.

For more information, call 702-507-3459 or visit vegasvalleybookfestival.org.

UNLV LAUNCHES ALUMNI READING SERIES

Poet Sasha Steensen is scheduled to be the first guest speaker in the UNLV Creative Writing Program Alumni Reading Series at 7 p.m. Oct. 2 in the Greenspun Hall Auditorium at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway.

Steensen earned her Master of Fine Arts degree at UNLV in 2000 and her Ph.D. from SUNY-Buffalo. She is the author of three books, “House of Deer,” “The Method” and “A Magic Book.” She teaches at Colorado State University, where she serves as a poetry editor for Colorado Review.

For more information, visit english.unlv.edu/creativewriting.

VEGAS VALLEY COMIC BOOK FESTIVAL SET FOR NOV. 1

The seventh annual Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 1 inside and around the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road.

Comic book artist and writer Howard Chaykin is slated to be the featured guest at this year’s event, joined by numerous comic creators including Spencer Brinkerhoff III, Russell Lissau, Nick Mamatas, Brian and Kristy Miller and Chris Staros. The event is also set to include live music, face painting, food trucks, vendors and publishers and an artist alley. Admission is free.

For more information, visit vegasvalleycomicbookfestival.org.

CONVERSATION WITH STEPHEN GREENBLATT AND GERALDINE BROOKS SLATED

Black Mountain Institute’s “To Swerve or Not to Swerve: How Literature Navigates the Past,” a conversation with Stephen Greenblatt and Geraldine Brooks, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 13 in the Philip J. Cohen Theatre. in the UNLV Student Union, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway.

For details, visit blackmountaininstitute.org.

NEVADA WRITERS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR EXCHANGE

Poets & Writers magazine has selected Nevada as the state to draw entries for the 2015 Writers Exchange Award. Nevadan writers of fiction and poetry are invited to apply for the exchange — which includes a $500 honorarium, a trip to New York City and a one-month residency at the Jentel Artist Residency Program in Wyoming — by Dec. 1. For details, visit pw.org.

BARNES & NOBLE TO HOST WRITING GROUP

The 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble plans to host a writing critique group at 5:15 p.m. the fourth Monday of each month. The group is limited to the first 20 participants per meeting. Sign up at meetup.com/las-vegas-creative-writing-class.

ALIANTE LIBRARY TO HOST WRITERS CLUB

The Aliante Library Writers Club is scheduled to meet from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. the first and third Tuesday of each month at the Aliante Library, 2400 W. Deer Springs Road. For more information, email facilitator Glory Wade at glorywadewriter@gmail.com.

SHARE POEMS AT HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Polish up a poem or two and try them out at Human Experience, a free spoken word event scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. Mondays in The Beat Coffeehouse inside Emergency Arts, 520 Fremont St. For more information, visit lasvegaspoets.org.

ART CENTER TO HOST POETS CORNER

The West Las Vegas Arts Center, 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd., plans to host poets corner readings with Keith Brantley at 7 p.m. the first and third Friday of each month. For more information, call the center at 702-229-4800.

FREE READ TO ME PROGRAM OFFERED

Celebrity storytellers Oscar Goodman, Rita Rudner, Clint Holmes, Terry Fator, Carrot Top, The Scintas and others have donated their talents to the Clark County Education Association Community Foundation’s Read To Me program. Children can view more than 15 videos of celebrities reading books on the website at readtomelv.com. Stories also can be accessed by calling 702-240-2665. Both databases are frequently updated with fresh stories. Parents and teachers can download lesson plans for each book on the website.

ZINE LIBRARY OPEN IN EMERGENCY ARTS

Grab a cup of coffee and check out the independently crafted magazines at the Las Vegas Zine Library inside The Beat Coffeehouse in Emergency Arts, 520 Fremont St. The library is more of a collection on display for reference and on-site reading than a checkout repository. Contributions of zines are appreciated. For more information, visit lvzinelibrary.blogspot.com.

EMERGING WRITERS SERIES TO FEATURE JENNIFER PASHLEY

Jennifer Pashley is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 in the Greenspun Hall Auditorium at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, as part of the Black Mountain Institute’s Emerging Writers Series. Pashley is the author of the short story collections “States” and “The Conjurer.” For more information, visit blackmountaininstitute.org.

HENDERSON WRITERS GROUP MEETINGS SET

The Henderson Writers Group plans to meet from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. Mondays in Room C-2 at Community Lutheran Church, 3720 E. Tropicana Ave. Meetings are typically canceled on holidays. For more information, visit hendersonwritersgroup.

MEMOIR-WRITING WORKSHOPS SLATED

An ongoing series of free four-week memoir-writing workshops is scheduled at noon Wednesdays and 10 a.m. Fridays at the Las Vegas FamilySearch Library, 509 S. Ninth St. Four-week sessions are set to begin the first week of every month. For more information, call 702-382-9695.

FREE STORYCORPS TOOLKIT HELPS COLLECT MEMORIES

The national StoryCorps’ Memory Loss Initiative encourages people with memory loss to share their stories with loved ones and future generations. To make that task easier, a free step-by-step toolkit is available to download at storycorps.org/mli. The Commemorate toolkit offers an individual reminiscence program that family members can initiate or memory loss care facilities can add to activities. The initiative has collected more than 1,800 interviews with 180 partner organizations. For more information, visit storycorps.org or call 646-723-7027.

ACCESS RECORDED BOOK PROGRAMS ONLINE

Too busy to get out to book programs? The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District posts videos and podcasts of many of its programs online. Selections available include: “An Afternoon with Tony Curtis,” John L. Smith’s presentation “Amelia’s Long Journey: The Challenge of Writing What You Know,” “Batman” movie producer Michael Uslan’s presentation at the 2009 Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival, Jami Carpenter’s “ABCs of Editing” workshop and Brian Rouff’s “Getting Published: A Long Strange Trip.” To access the programs, visit lvccld.org, select “Books, Movies & More” and then “Video and Podcasts.”

The Black Mountain Institute has offered recordings of its programming since 2006. To access recordings of a gamut of writers from E.L. Doctorow to Alissa Nutting, visit blackmountaininstitute.org and select “multimedia.”